


Companion To Our Demons

by PaddlingDingo



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: ALIAM timeline, Gen, Hank Swears A Lot, aliam canon, once upon a time hank was an idiot at a party because he was heartbroken, suicide implications, tina chen likes simon's cookies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 03:47:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17738420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaddlingDingo/pseuds/PaddlingDingo
Summary: Hank Anderson is man heartbroken by the loss of his son. Simon is a friend's android, who is trying to do a job.Somewhere in the intersection of grief and programming, Simon is there for Hank. Even if Hank doesn't remember it.





	Companion To Our Demons

**February 10 th, 2036**

“Hank, I think you’ve had enough.” Natasha Holloway reached for Hank’s beer.

His fellow officer had been on him since he got there. _Shouldn’t have come over here anyway._ He’d thought it would make him feel better, but so far, all he’d been was mad. “Fuck off, Nat,” he muttered, pulling the beer closer to him. Cole had died four months ago. Another fucking beer wouldn’t hurt him, not compared to how much he hurt anyway.

The room spun but Hank didn’t give a shit, he’d just sit here on the couch and keep drinking for as long as it took to forget. The worst it could do, in any version of events, is kill him. Which wouldn’t be that bad. There wasn’t much to live for now, anyway.

Nat’s android came up to him from the kitchen, holding out its hand. “Mr. Anderson, Natasha is correct.”

“Fuck off to you, too. I don’t need a fucking android to tell me when to stop drinking.” Hank downed the rest of the beer. It tasted flat to him, but it got him that much closer to forgetting. “There, it’s gone. Are you happy?”

“Jesus Christ, Hank, what the hell?” Tina Chen demanded, plucking the empty beer can from his hand. “Simon won’t give you another one.”

“From the mouth of Martini Tina,” Hank drawled, deciding that he’d just get his own damn beer. _Hypocrite._ “It’s not like you haven’t been drinking since you got here.” He wobbled to his feet, and Nat’s damn android caught his arm.

“I also showed up here _sober,_ asshole.” Tina glared at him. “And I’m not a wreck.”

“Ms. Martini Tina is correct,” Simon asserted, and Hank pulled away from the android, stumbling towards the kitchen.

_Fucking androids._

“You can _all_ fuck off,” he said, leaning hard against the counter. He’d made it to the kitchen, which meant he couldn’t be _that_ bad. “I showed up to your damn party. I could have stayed at home.” Damn them, if they’d just mind their own fucking business. “It’s easy for you to judge, you still have your wife.”

“My wife the paramedic, who will come in here and cut you off a hell of a lot more hard than I will.” Nat rubbed at her forehead. “Simon, take his keys.”

“Fuck you and fuck your damned android,” Hank snarled. They had no right to judge him. “An android killed my son. It’s not touching me.”

“A car accident killed your son, and I’m not letting you cause another one.” Nat nodded to Simon.

The android reached towards him, and Hank dodged to the side. “It can fucking _try._ ”

Simon caught Hank’s arm and pulled, bringing Hank against it. Something impacted against his leg and he felt himself falling towards the floor. Simon caught his arm and softened the drop, causing Hank to land on his ass instead of his head.

“Fuck!” How the hell had it taken him down so fast? He squinted up at the android. “Who the fuck taught you that?”

“No one. You fell.” Something crossed the android’s face.

Hank couldn’t make sense of that. The android had to be lying, but could it lie? While Hank stared, Simon’s hand shot out and pulled his keys out of his pocket. Hank reached for the android’s hand but was too slow. “Give it back!”

“You are in Natasha and Lilly’s residence, and they determine the terms of your presence here.” Simon put the keys in its own pocket.

Hank sat up and looked around, realizing that everyone stared at him. _Fuck them._ He didn’t even have the energy to tell them to fuck off, so instead he pushed himself to his feet and headed for the office, where he could at least be alone.

He sat down hard on the floor and slammed the door behind him, dropping to the floor and crawling to a corner. Pulling his knees against his chest, he closed his eyes. He missed Cole. His beautiful, smart, creative son. The gaping hole in his heart hurt so much that Hank didn’t know how he’d be able to keep living like this.

Maybe if he fell asleep, he’d never wake up.

* * *

In his dreams, he had Cole again. He saw moments of them together: building a snowman, playing in the park, walking with Sumo. A thousand small memories that shone like tiny crystals falling though his mind.

Every time they never lasted long enough, like Cole’s life. The other memories always surfaced, twisted by the pain of the last few months. The accident, the trip to the hospital, holding Cole’s hand and promising him he’d be okay.

He’d be okay, wouldn’t he?

Hank woke up with a start, looking around the dark room and remembering he wasn’t home. Which meant that he wasn’t with Cole. Which meant…

A sob shook him before he could stop it, and he hugged his knees against himself. _He’s gone, of course he’s gone._ He squeezed his eyes shut, recognizing the sound that came from his mouth as being a twisted parody of his own voice.

 _It should have been me._ He could have turned the wheel to change the impact. He should have insisted on a different hospital. Anything to have saved him.

Hank felt a hand on his back between his shoulders but he didn’t open his eyes to look. He should tell them to fuck off and leave him alone. Couldn’t he grieve in peace? He didn’t need this shit. What he needed was another drink and a bridge to jump off.

The hand on his back moved over his back and Hank slumped, feeling tears in the corner of his eyes. His head hurt, a pressure he couldn’t fight off. Breathing became harder and he shuddered with the pain of it all. The pain of living without his son, the pain of _living._

Arms wrapped around him and Hank stopped fighting against them, against whoever it was. How much did he care? He’d been crying alone for months, pushing anyway everyone. _I’m too drunk to give a shit anymore._ He let the arms wrap around him and buried his head against the chest of whoever was there.

A hand moved to the back of his head, fingers combing into his hair. Hank whimpered, not feeling like he deserved this much care. For now, he’d take it. He shook against the unknown person, his arms wrapping around their back. _He._ At least, that’s what it felt like. Who was he? He couldn’t think of anyone at the party who would bother. Maybe he was dreaming all of this, too. Would that be so bad?

It had to be, because no one would have come, if he’d been awake. He wrapped his arms around the man and let himself cry for the son he’d lost, the life he’d never get back, for the never ending nightmare of waking up and realizing that Cole was gone.

Whoever this was, he didn’t speak, and he didn’t ask questions. He clutched at his back and cried into the fabric of the other person’s shirt. If he wasn’t asleep, he’d regret this in the morning, but for now, he didn’t know what else to do.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m-“

“Shhh.” The arm around him tightened.

Hank didn’t ask questions, instead just taking this for the moment of respite it felt like.

* * *

Simon emerged from the office, closing the door behind him. He found Lilly in the hall, waiting for him. While Simon has protocols for comfort and grief, he had never had to use them like this. This much human pain felt like a new concept.

“Is he okay?” she asked, her voice low.

“I think so.” Simon patted at his pocket. “I also slipped his gun away. I know that this is a violation of law-“

“No.” Lilly reached out and pulled the gun from Simon’s pocket. “Your fingerprints aren’t on it, so you never touched it.”

Simon blinked, watching Lilly check the safety below lowering the weapon to her side. “I don’t have fingerprints.”

“That’s my point.” She reached out and put a hand on his arm. “You didn’t have to go in there. I could have checked on him.”

“It’s fine.” He didn’t understand Lilly’s concern. “It’s better it was me. Your sister and Natasha still work with him.” He glanced back at the door, uncertain what he should do now. The sound of snoring came from the other side of the door. “He’s asleep again. I can check on him later if you’d like.”

“If you want to.”

“I don’t want anything. I’m an android.” Simon smiled at Lilly. He’d do whatever she asked, but sometimes she did not understand that he did not have wants of his own.

“Simon.” Lilly looked up at him. “You’re capable of making your own decisions.”

Something flickered in his mind and he pushed it away. He felt uncomfortable when Lilly said things like that. “Thank you. You should rest now.”

She sighed, tucking the gun under her arm and heading to the bedroom. Simon watched after her until the bedroom door closed, then looked down at the tear stains on his shirt. He brushed his fingers over them, wondering what it must feel like. To cry. To hurt like that.

He considered himself lucky that he would never have to know.

* * *

**December 16 th, 2038**

Hank walked into the front doors of the DPD, at work with time to spare. He’d been trying to stay on Fowler’s good side since punching Perkins and the resulting disciplinary actions against him. Fowler let Hank slide with a writeup, so long as Hank had no further issues for the next six months.

At least he hadn’t lost his job, so he’d take it.

He walked through the doors and saw Tina Chen chatting with a PL600. Hank recognized him as Simon, from when Connor had come to the DPD the previous month. He’d helped remove the androids from evidence, including Daniel. Tina held a plate of cookies in her hands and was chatting with the android.

“Hey Hank!” She waved at him. “Come over here.”

Hank approached and looked from the cookies to Simon. “Did you bake these? Because I know Tina didn’t.”

Tina made a face at Hank, and Simon smiled, looking shy. “I did. It’s a recipe I know she likes.”

Something wasn’t adding up, and Hank frowned. “You know each other?”

Simon and Tina exchanged a look, and Tina rolled her eyes. “Hank, it’s _Simon._ You remember him, right?”

Hank stared at her. “He’s friends with Connor. That’s how I know him.”

Tina laughed. “Simon gets around I guess. He’s come a long way from being Lilly and Nat’s android. Can you believe it? He made it through all of that. Remember how he disappeared a week after that party-”

“No need to tell the story, Tina,” Simon interrupted, putting a hand on her arm. “It’s best we not advertise it.”

Hank almost slumped with relief when Simon stopped her before she could say more. _Simon._ Hank drunk. His car keys. The pieces swirled in Hank’s mind, and he fought to figure out how to reply. “I didn’t recognize you before,” he managed. _Because I was so drunk I couldn’t see straight, you knocked me on my ass, and I…_ Oh fuck. That was after Cole had died, and Hank could recall some of the shit he’d said. No doubt Simon remembered, too, and had said nothing. They’d sat in evidence together, and Simon hadn’t looked at him any differently that Hank could tell. No wonder Simon hadn’t introduced himself when they’d met.

He already knew who Hank was.

Hank looked over at Simon, who’s face had gone serious. “I’ve got to head back to New Jericho and check in on things, but it’s… good to see you doing well.” He managed a smile and backed up.

“Thanks for the cookies!” Tina called, grinning.

“Yeah, uh, see you later,” Hank muttered, looking away. He didn’t know what to say. What _could_ he say? _Sorry I said so much shitty stuff to you when you were just trying to do your damned job? Sorry I’m an asshole who took my pain out on everyone else?_

“Don’t let Tina eat all the cookies.” Simon turned and left the station, and Hank watched him go through the door.

He owed Simon some apologies… but he needed to think more about what he should say. What had happened during the nearly three years since he’d disappeared?

Tina lifted the plastic off the tray and grabbed a cookie, holding the tray out to Hank. “Recipe he used to make around Christmas,” she said, putting the cookie in her mouth as she balanced the tray with her other hand.

He pulled out a cookie shaped like a Christmas wreath and examined it. Green frosting, a perfect red frosting bow, little darker green accents, and decorated with little candy Christmas decorations. It looked familiar. “Wait. Aren’t these the cookies that Nat always claimed Lilly baked?”

Tina laughed around the cookie. “Now _that’s_ a secret I had to keep for years. My sister bakes as awful as me.” She grinned. “Remember how he always called me Martini Tina?”

“Yeah, how could I forget.” He sighed. Except he had.

Tina carried the tray off cookies back into the station, and Hank went to find some coffee to go with the cookie.

 _Wait until Connor hears about this._ On the other hand, maybe he shouldn’t tell Connor about this at all.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve got a funny feeling that there needs to be a follow up to this. If you enjoyed it and would like to hear more about them, let me know!


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